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A CHESTER war veteran who escaped from imprisonment in Italythree timesreturnedtoone of his PoW camps last week to unveil a plaque bearing a message of peace.

Desmond Jones, 84, who lives in Gorse Stacks in Chester, was making his second trip in two years to Borgo San Siro, the tiny village near Milan that bordered the camp.

On September 7, 1943, Mr Jones, a bombardier and camp leader at PG 146, made his first ultimately unsuccessfulescapefrom thecampina bidtoreturnto hisfiancee,nowwife, Edith who he feared may have been called up to active service.

The unveiling of the plaque on Wednesday last week was timed to commemorate Mr Jones's escape.

During the ceremony Mr Jones, bearing all of his medals, made a short speech and a prayer was offered by the local priest.

The inscription on the plaque was read out in English and Italian and while the camp had been in use as a working farm, it will now be reconstructed to represent its former status.

Mr Jones visited the area in April last year for Italy's Liberation Day celebrations and was greeted as a local celebrity, speaking to dignitaries and school children during his stay. An Italian newspaper even sold out because so many children wanted copies.

Mr Jones said: 'It was absolutely unbelievable- they make such a fuss of me, maybe even more this time.

'I think the reason they are always so pleased to see me is it reminds them of the help they gave to other prisoners who escaped. I would like to go back but, to be honest, I'm getting a bit embarrassed with all the attention.'

This time Mr Jones was carrying a message from an ex-prisoner of the camp, Raymond Cheal, to Mariuccia Pochintesta, a local Italian woman who had helped Mr Cheal as a 17-year-old in 1943.

Mr Cheal had escaped from the same campbut wastooillto traveltoItalyso Mr Jones was able to exchange photographs between the two.

The translator on the trip, Julia Billingsley from the British Pro-Consul, said: 'In his address the Mayor of Borgo San Siro expressed the thanks of the villagers for this return visitand referred to the long-lasting effect of Mr Jones' visit to the village last year.

'Over 300 of the village's children had been present on that occasion and because of this visit a whole eration of school children would grow up aware of the horror and futility of war.'